Clashes in coastal areas of Syria between government security forces and groups loyal to the fallen regime of Bashar al-Assad have led to hundreds of deaths, including the deliberate execution of civilians, according to a report.
The from the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) and seen by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed and °®Âþµº, documented "summary executions" of at least 125 civilians by the security forces of the new transitional Syrian government on Friday.
Other estimates put the number at at least 134.
Syria is witnessing what has been described as the "most violent" clashes since Bashar al-Assad's ouster, as government forces battle with militias loyal to the former regime.
The violence erupted in the Alawi heartlands in the country's north-west where security forces have embarked on a large-scale operation to find and arrest Assad loyalists.
Experts believe the insurgents are attempting to sow sectarian violence, in hopes that Alawites embrace their cause and rise up against the new Syrian government.
The UK-based network details how the killing of civilians occurred during government operations in these coastal areas after pro-Assad groups killed over 100 members of the new Syrian security forces were killed in clashes in the governorates of Latakia, Tartous and Hama between 6-7 March.
The SNHR documents that the same pro-Assad groups deliberately killed at least 15 civilians after they opened fire on their vehicles on the outskirts of the city of Jableh on the Latakia coast.
"[J]oint forces under the Ministries of Defense and Interior launched a large-scale security operation across multiple villages in the rural areas of Latakia, Tartous, and Hama," the report reads.
"This operation involved arbitrary house raids, direct targeting of civilians, and large-scale field executions of men and young adults over the age of 18, without any clear distinction between civilians and combatants," it continues.
In one disturbing incident documented in the report, at least 40 civilians were said to be "executed en masse" by Syrian government forces, with their bodies abandoned at a single site in Al-Mukhtariyya in the Latakia countryside.
On the same day, in the nearby town of Al-Haffa, around 10 people were killed with their remains discarded in the streets.
Similar incidents of the summary executions were also reported in Hamas. Five civilians were said to have been killed by government forces in Al-Fandara and Masyaf. In the village of Arza in western Hama, around 10 civilians were executed, with their bodies left in public view, as armed groups and security forces attacked.
Additionally, houses were set on fire and looted during the attacks, with local residents assaulted.
On 6 March in the city of Baniyas, pro-Assad armed groups initiated an offensive, targeting internal security checkpoints, particularly in Al-Qusour neighbourhood, which has a predominantly Alawite population, the SNHR reports.
This then led to security forces and armed groups, including those containing non-Syrian fighters, to enter the city to engage with the pro-Assad armed elements on Friday, with around 50 civilians said to be executed without any formal charges or trial.
The report says that the majority of the victims belonged to medical families from the Qusour neighbourhood, and that they were "systematically executed in their homes".
Since the rebel coalition, led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, swept aside the Assad regime in a lightning offensive in December 2024, there has been widespread fears of sectarian backlash as security forces look to hunt down pro-Assad elements in the country.
Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who was previously the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, has promised that sectarian violence will not be tolerated in the country.
However, since Syria's new security forces began carrying out extensive campaigns seeking to root out Assad loyalists from his former bastions, violations, including home seizures, field executions and kidnappings, have been reported.
The Syrian government has described these as "isolated events" carried out by rogue elements attached to the security forces.
However, this wave of violence has prompted groups like the SNHR to call for an independent investigation into such crimes and the prosecution of those found to be carrying them out.
Speaking to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the the director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, Fadel Abdul Ghany, stated that one of the reasons for violations is inadequate training of the new security personnel, who typically undergo only brief courses in matters such as the rights of civilians and human rights.